Numbers salve recession fears

WASHINGTON – The economy appears slightly healthier than many had feared it was a few weeks ago, raising hopes that it can end the year on an upward slope.

A raft of data Thursday shows layoffs are trending down to a six-month low and factories in the Mid-Atlantic are growing again after contracting for two months. Nevertheless, home sales fell and the housing market is expected to weigh on the economy deep into 2012.

The outlook for the final six months of the year has improved from August, when many thought the economy was at growing risk of falling back into a recession. Other recent reports showed hiring picked up slightly in September and consumers boosted their spending on retail goods by the most since March.

Most economists now expect modest growth for the rest of this year. Still, they caution that it’s unlikely to be strong enough to significantly lower the unemployment rate, which has been stuck near 9 percent for more than two years.

Macroeconomic Advisers forecasts the economy will expand 2.7 percent in the July-September quarter and 2.6 percent in the final three months of the year. The government issues its first estimate for third-quarter growth on Oct. 27.